System and method for multi-set collection of golf clubs

ABSTRACT

The invention provides methods and collections of golf clubs that offer a variety of golf club sets from a limited number of golf clubs. The golf clubs are designed such that a golfer can choose one of multiple different, distinct subsets of the collection based on matching the properties of the clubs of the subset to that golfer&#39;s needs. In this way, the club maker can provide several different subsets by manufacturing fewer clubs than would be otherwise required. For example, a manufacturer can make one collection of 16 clubs. From that collection of 16 clubs , one golfer could choose a first set of 8 irons, a second golfer could choose a second set of 8 irons, and a third golfer could choose a third set of 8 irons.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/764,300, filed Feb. 13, 2013, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to methods of matching sets of golfclubs to golfers.

BACKGROUND

A set of golf clubs is most useful to a golfer when it is matched tothat golfer's abilities. For example, a highly-skilled golfer may bebest served by a set of forged irons, while a new golfer may need widecavity backed irons that are very forgiving to off-center hits. In thereal world, golfers are much more diverse than that example. Somegolfers are best served by adjustable loft club when, for example, agolfer is new and still figuring out what works best for himself. Somegolfers need their clubs to appear a certain way because they have foundthat certain colors or printing patterns are distracting and break theirconcentration with adverse effects on their game. Additionally, golfersneed different properties within a set. Some golfers play best withmuscle-back long irons, but need short irons with a very low center ofgravity.

Finding the right club set is not as easy as mixing and matching fromindividual clubs. Many golfers need clubs that come in a matched set.For some golfers, this is because golf is such a mental game andmis-matched clubs are distracting and interfere with concentration.Numerous golfers are concerned with even more practical consequences ofmis-matched clubs. If all clubs in a set are matched, it is easier toavoid mixing up your clubs with someone else's or leaving the house witha mixed-up set. Also, important information such as iron number istypically printed in a consistent fashion within a matching set, lettingthe golfer concentrate more on the game than on fishing around in thegolf bag for the right club.

SUMMARY

The invention provides methods and collections of golf clubs that offera variety of golf club sets from a limited number of golf clubs. Thegolf clubs are designed such that a golfer can choose one of two or moredifferent, distinct subsets of the collection based on matching theproperties of the clubs of the subset to that golfer's needs. In thisway, the club maker can provide several different subsets bymanufacturing fewer clubs than would be otherwise required. For example,a manufacturer can make one collection of 16 clubs . From thatcollection of 16 clubs, one golfer could choose a first set of 8 irons,a second golfer could choose a second set of 8 irons, and a third golfercould choose a third set of 8 irons. Each one of those sets is a matchedset within which playing properties are optimized for the golfer. Thefirst set could have (to illustrate) a moment of inertia about avertical axis (Izz) that increases progressively throughout the set. Thesecond set could include clubs that transition from forged iron bladesfor the longest irons to cavity-backed clubs for the shorter irons. Thethird set could include a face with a reinforced sweet spot thattransitions from approximately circular to elliptical progressivelythroughout the set. A club manufacturer can offer a collection thatincludes, say, 32 clubs, from within which 12 or more different distinctclub sets can be chosen. Additionally, the manufacturer can ship thecollection wholesale along with information that identifies several ofthe certain sets available from within the collection, giving golfers avaluable aid in choosing a personalized set within a store or online

One functional aspect of a collection of the invention is that it offersthe golfer the ability to tailor his set of clubs specifically to thetype of game he shoots. Some golfers prefer to hit forged short ironsbut cavity back long irons. The collection allows the golfer tocustomize the set to his playing style without compromising theimportant functional aspects of a club set's appearance. The golfer willnot have his concentration broken by one mis-matched club and will alsoknow at a glance, before leaving the house or the golf course forexample, that he has his complete set and only his set in his golf bag.

In certain aspects, the invention provides a collection of golf clubsfrom which can be provided a first set of M consecutively-numberedirons, a second set of N consecutively-numbered irons; and a third setof P consecutively numbered irons. The collection consists of Q clubsand Q<(M+N+P). The clubs of the first set may have a first property(such as moment of inertia about a z-axis when the club head is ataddress, cavity depth, or both) that varies progressively with thenumbering of the set. The clubs of the second set have a second property(such as a ration of maximum face width to maximum face height) thatvaries progressively with the numbering of the set. In certainembodiments, clubs of the third set have a third property that variesprogressively with the numbering of the set. The third property could beoffset, loft, lie, bounce, blade length, club height, top linedimension, top line type, sharpness of leading edge, radius of curvatureof toe, radius of curvature of heel, sole width, sole radius, facethickness, cavity volume, finish, darkness, or height of center ofgravity of club head when club head is at address. In certainembodiments, the collection consists of twelve irons, the first setconsists of six cast irons, the second set consists of six forged irons,and third set consists of three forged irons and three cast irons. Insome embodiments, the collection consists of sixteen irons, the firstset consists of eight cast irons, the second set consists of eightforged irons, and third set consists of four forged irons and four castirons.

In certain embodiments, clubs of the second set have a second propertythat varies cyclically or periodically with the numbering of the set. Aproperty that varies cyclically could be, for example, a position ofserration on a leading edge or a width of a sole. For example, everythird club of the second set may have a second property that appears onno other club within the collection.

Clubs of the invention may have a setting adjustment mechanism. Forexample, each club, or certain clubs, of the second set could be such anadjustable club. The setting adjustment mechanism of each club head maybe operable to change a loft of that club head, a face angle, or both.

Related aspects of the invention provide methods for providing well-fitclub sets to golfers. Methods include preparing a collection consistingof Q clubs and providing a first set of M consecutively-numbered ironsfrom the collection as well as a second set of N consecutively-numberedirons from within the collection and also a third set of P consecutivelynumbered irons, such that Q<(M+N+P).

In other aspects, the invention provides a process for designing amulti-set collection of clubs. This can include designing M clubs suchthat the ith club, for i from 1 to M, has a value Ai that variesprogressively with i for a first property, and the jth club, for i from1 to, P has a value Bj that varies progressively with j for a secondproperty. The process further include designing N clubs such that thekth club, for k from 1 to N, has a value Ck that varies progressivelywith k for a third property, and the lth club for 1 from (P+1) to N hasa value Dl that varies progressively with 1 for the second property.

The first property could be, for example, a moment of inertia in arounda z-axis (Izz), and Izz could have a value Ai that increases through theset. The second property could be a sole width, and the values Bj and Dlof the sole width could increase through the set. The third propertycould be a darkness of a surface, and a value Ck of the darkness couldvary through the set.

In some aspects, the invention provides a collection of golf club headsfrom within which a first unique set of irons has a first property thatvaries progressively with iron number; a second unique set of irons hasa second property that varies progressively with iron number; and athird unique set of irons has a third property that varies progressivelywith iron number. Preferably, neither the second property nor the thirdproperty vary progressively across the entirety of the first unique set;neither the first property nor the third property vary progressivelyacross the entirety of the second unique set; neither the secondproperty nor the first property vary progressively across the entiretyof the third unique set; or some combination of the foregoing obtain. Incertain embodiments, the first property does not vary progressivelyacross the entirety of the second set. The second property may not varyprogressively across the entirety of the third set. The third propertymay not vary progressively across the entirety of the first set. Thefirst property may not vary progressively across the entirety of thethird set. The second property need not vary progressively across theentirety of the first set.

Aspects of the invention provide sets of golf clubs that do not resemblea traditional set. A set according to the invention may include, forexample, two clubs that are manufactured with the same number, or anyother non-traditional combination of club numbering. The inventionincludes the insight that a set can include golf clubs that areconsecutively numbered from the perspective of, and for the benefit of,a golfer while those clubs are manufactured with numbers that are notstrictly consecutive. Thus while in some embodiments a set isconsecutively numbered according to the numbers provided bymanufacturers, in other embodiments, a set is consecutively numbered byfunction and according to the benefit of the clubs to a golfer. In oneillustrative example, a consecutively numbered set includes a 5-iron anda 5-hybrid. The clubs in a set may or may not be sold with an indicatedloft (e.g., stamped on the sole).

In some embodiments, the invention provides the ability for a golfer to“name” or “number” his own clubs. For example, a set according to theinvention may be provided along with a set of labels (such as stickersor other indicia) that can be affixed to club heads. The golfer mayoptimize the set and then apply the naming or numbering. The golfer maybe assisting in naming or numbering by information provided with thecollection (e.g., such as a retail display, a poster, a pamphlet, or acomputer aid). The labels may include any indicia, such as numbers,words, colors, patterns or a combination thereof. For example, labelsmay include the words “driving iron”, “far”, “almost there”, otherindicators, or a combination thereof. This may provide a benefit for agolfer that does not know how far a shot from a certain club (e.g., a7-iron) will fly. Some golfers will enjoy a useful benefit from labelsfor club sets in which the labels include information suited to thatgolfer's communication style, such as plain-English words, descriptionsin terms of golf courses (e.g., long fairway, onto green, etc.), actualloft measurements, icons or pictures (sky, green, fairway, sand, etc.).The labels may be part of a kit and may be customizable (e.g., printedor printable stickers) so the golfer could call his club maybe the “longgrass”, “weeds”, “white”, “blue”, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first club set from a collection according to theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a second club set.

FIG. 3 shows a third club set.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth club set.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth club set.

FIG. 6 shows a sixth club set.

FIG. 7 shows a seventh club set.

FIG. 8 shows an eight club set.

FIG. 9 shows a ninth club set.

FIG. 10A diagrams reference measurements for club heads.

FIG. 10B diagrams reference measurements for club heads.

FIG. 10C diagrams reference measurements for club heads.

FIG. 11 illustrates a collection that includes a tenth and eleventh clubset.

FIG. 12 represents a twelfth club set.

FIG. 13 shows a thirteenth club set.

FIG. 14 shows a fourteenth club set.

FIG. 15 shows a fifteenth club set.

FIG. 16 shows a large collection according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 17 diagrams a system of the invention.

FIG. 18 shows a display of club sets.

FIG. 19 gives a diagram of methods of certain embodiments.

FIG. 20 shows a device for selecting clubs.

FIG. 21 shows use of a device to suggest clubs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention provides systems and methods by which a manufacturer canoffer a collection of golf clubs from within which different golfers canselect different personalized sets. A key insight of the invention isthat the collection can include a lower number of clubs than the sum ofthe numbers of clubs in all of the unique sets while each set also hasmeaningful and consistent playing properties. In particular, each setwill generally be characterized by at least one property that varies incontrolled way (e.g., progressively, periodically, or cyclically)throughout the set. For example, a club head moment of inertia about avertical axis may increase with iron length (i.e., vary progressivelythroughout the set). Or, a club may have a feature, such as a serratedleading sole edge with a position that alternate between heel-side andtoe-side (i.e., varies cyclically throughout the set).

FIG. 1 shows a first club set 100 that includes at least eight clubheads. First club set 100 includes a first four iron 104, a first fiveiron 105, a first six iron 106, a first seven iron 107, a first eightiron 108, a first nine iron 109, a first pitch wedge 121, and a firstgap wedge 123. The eight club heads have at least one property thatvaries progressively with number. Each club has a progressively tallerface (as measured at a tallest point when the club is at address).

FIG. 2 shows a second club set 200 that includes at least eight clubheads. Second club set 200, as shown, includes a second three iron 203,a second four iron 204, a second five iron 205, a second six iron 206, asecond seven iron 207, a second eight iron 208, a second nine iron 209,and a second pitch wedge 221. Each club head in second club set 200 is aforged head, with a style that progresses from blade to cavity back.Second three iron 203 has the most pronounced cavity. The perimeterweighting of the pronounced cavity make the longer irons more forgivingto hit. The blade-like shape of the short irons gives a golfer much moreprecise control over distance and accuracy for the shots that thoseirons are best-suited to make. Additionally, it has been found that clubsets with significant dis-continuities in club style or appearancesometimes do not sell. Thus it is most useful to a manufacturer to makea club set in which changes in appearance are graded or gradual.Accordingly, the cavity depth is varied gradually across second club set200.

Further, the cavity back shapes of second three iron 203, second fouriron 204, second five iron 205, second six iron 206, first seven iron107, first eight iron 108, first nine iron 109, and first pitch wedge121 are designed to be substantially similar and thus these clubs definea tenth club set 1001, discussed in greater detail below. Of theseclubs, the perimeter weighting in the longer irons is most pronounced(e.g., by including more significant mass in the heel or toe walls oreven by including weights such as tungsten built into the club head. Thecavity backs on the short irons provide some perimeter weightingforgiveness, and that is balanced with some additional weight in theface to modulate the face coefficient of restitution, giving the golfgood control.

FIG. 3 shows a third club set 300. Third club set 300 includes a thirdfour iron 304, a third five iron 305, a third six iron 306, a thirdseven iron 307, a third eight iron 308, a third nine iron 309, a thirdpitch wedge 321, and a third gap wedge 323. Within club set 300, faceshape, face size, sweet spot shape, and sweet spot size can all varyprogressively along the set. Preferably, the shorter irons have a sweetspot and face shape more nearly approximating a circle than the longirons. In some embodiments, if the largest possible ellipse is drawn ona substantially planar portion of each face, the eccentricity of theellipses will increase with iron length.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth club set 400. Fourth club set 400 includes afourth four iron 404, a fourth five iron 405, a fourth six iron 406, afourth seven iron 407, a fourth eight iron 408, a fourth nine iron 409,a fourth pitch wedge 421, and a fourth gap wedge 423. Fourth club set400 provides forged blades, particularly for the short irons, for betterplayers.

In general, club collections of the invention are designed andmanufactured so that the clubs have a consistent appearance throughoutseveral sets that can be made from within the collection. For example,fourth four iron 404, fourth five iron 405, fourth six iron 406, fourthseven iron 407, third eight iron 308, third nine iron 309, third pitchwedge 321, and third gap wedge 323 each can have a back that is shapedsubstantially as shown in FIG. 4 (even where third four iron 304, thirdfive iron 305, third six iron 306, and third seven iron 307 each have acavity back such as is shown, for example, in FIG. 1). In this way,fourth four iron 404, fourth five iron 405, fourth six iron 406, fourthseven iron 407, third eight iron 308, third nine iron 309, third pitchwedge 321, and third gap wedge 323 define an eleventh club set 1101 thatis beneficial to a player that plays best with muscle back irons, andthat needs some substantially additional height on the face of the shortirons. In some embodiments, eleventh club set 1101 defines a betterplayer set.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth club set 500. Fifth club set 500 includes a fifththree iron 503, a fifth four iron 504, a fifth five iron 505, a fifthsix iron 506, a fifth seven iron 507, a fifth eight iron 508, a fifthnine iron 509, a fifth pitch wedge 521, and a fifth gap wedge 523. Fifthclub set 500 includes examples of a couple of different features thatcan vary within a club set.

In particular, FIG. 5 shows club head properties that vary cyclicallythroughout the set. The invention includes the insight that a featureneed not appear on every club to offer a golfer great benefit. Forexample, some golfers find that their optimum ranges for clubsthroughout their set overlap. To give an example, a golfer may find thatthe six iron is consistently good for making 145 yard to 160 yard shots,that the five iron is consistently good for 150 yard to 170 yard shots,and that the seven iron is good for 135 yard to 150 yard shots. In thiscase, as the five iron and the seven iron ranges cover all relevantpossible distances, the golfer may benefit from a feature on their sixiron that offers some playability benefit that will not always beneeded, such as a wide sole with low center of gravity or a pronouncedhosel offset. This golfer may then use their six iron for shots thatneed to get high in the air and clear some obstacle. This insight isgeneralized and employed in the design shown in fifth club set 500 inthe form of features that vary cyclically through the club set.

The hosel offset of the irons in fifth club set 500 varies cyclicallythroughout the set. The hosel offset of fifth three iron 503, fifth sixiron 506, and fifth nine iron 509 exhibits pronounced hosel offset. Thehosel offset of fifth five iron 505, fifth eight iron 508, and fifth gapwedge 523 is modest. The hosel offset of fifth four iron 504, fifthseven iron 507, and fifth pitch wedge 521, is intermediate betweenpronounced and modest.

The sole width of the irons in fifth club set 500 varies cyclicallythroughout the set. The soles of fifth three iron 503, fifth six iron506, and fifth nine iron 509 are wide. The soles of fifth five iron 505,fifth eight iron 508, and fifth gap wedge 523 are narrow. The soles offifth four iron 504, fifth seven iron 507, and fifth pitch wedge 521,are intermediate between wide and narrow.

Additionally, it is noted that the morphology of the back of each clubin fifth club set 500 matches the morphology of second seven iron 207,second eight iron 208, second nine iron 209, and second pitch wedge 221.Accordingly, fifth three iron 503, fifth four iron 504, fifth five iron505, fifth six iron 506, second seven iron 207, second eight iron 208,second nine iron 209, and second pitch wedge 221 define a set of clubsin which the short clubs are forged irons, offering good ball control,and the long irons collectively offer the golfer at least one instanceof each of narrow sole width, wide sole width, intermediate sole width,pronounced hosel offset, modest hosel offset, and intermediate hoseloffset. This gives a golfer a variety of options to aid in getting theball to the green on the long shot and good control on the shortershots.

FIG. 6 shows a sixth club set 600. Sixth club set 600 includes a sixththree iron 603, a sixth four iron 604, a sixth five iron 605, a sixthsix iron 606, a sixth seven iron 607, a sixth eight iron 608, a sixthnine iron 609, a sixth pitch wedge 621, and a sixth gap wedge 623. Theclub heads of sixth club set 600 include a periodically varying featurein the form of the presence or position of serrations on a leading edgeof the sole. Sixth three iron 603, a sixth six iron 606, and sixth nineiron 609 each include serrations on a toe end of the leading edge of thesole. Sixth four iron 604, sixth seven iron 607, and sixth pitch wedge621 each include no serrations on the leading edge of the sole. Sixthfive iron 605, sixth eight iron 608, and sixth gap wedge 623 eachinclude serrations on a heel end of the leading edge of the sole. Byincluding one or more of these in a club set, a golfer may be able tobenefit from the serration by cutting through turf on difficult terrain.For example, on very grassy turf that slopes down away in the directiona golfer is facing, heel-end serrations may aid in cutting through thegrass, allowing the shot to successfully get the ball aloft and send itto the green. On turf that slopes up in a direction that the golfer isfacing (i.e., if the golfer looks straight ahead, he is looking uphill),toe-end serrations may aid in getting the ball aloft out of the turf.For the same reasons given above about the overlapping ranges within aclub set, a golfer may benefit most from having the location, presence,or both of serrations vary periodically throughout the set.

In some embodiments, club heads of the invention employ multi-materialhead constructions, inserts (e.g., such as a TPU insert within a cavityback or a top-line insert), co-molding and other such assemblytechnologies to provide club heads with optimized mass distribution andvibration dampening.

FIG. 7 shows a seventh club set 700. Seventh club set 700 includes aseventh four iron 704, a seventh five iron 705, a seventh six iron 706,a seventh seven iron 707, a seventh eight iron 708, a seventh nine iron709, a seventh pitch wedge 721, and a seventh gap wedge 723. Each clubhead in seventh club set 700 can be manufactured so that the lower partof the cavity perimeter defines a back wall (e.g., making something of acup-shaped area at the back sole), and the cavity can be filled at leastpartially with an insert. Within seventh club set 700, the back wallgets progressively larger and the insert gets progressively smaller in avertical direction throughout the set. In general, the back wallmaterial will be denser than the insert material. Thus, the shorterirons (e.g., seventh nine iron 709) will have a lower center of gravitythan the longer irons (such as seventh four iron 704). This provides thebenefit that the back of the striking face of each club head is coveredby the insert over an area, and the amount of covered area increases ina sequence from short irons to longer irons. Accordingly, the insert(preferably, a visco-elastic material) provides a significantly greateramount of vibration dampening in the long irons. Some golfers willbenefit significantly from good vibration dampening. Furthermore, somegolfers may only need good vibration dampening on certain of their ironsand for other irons, some other property may be important.

FIG. 8 shows an eighth club set 800. Eight club set 800 includes aneighth two iron 802, an eighth three iron 803, an eighth four iron 804,an eighth five iron 805, an eighth six iron 806, and an eighth seveniron 807. Here, the club heads feature a hybrid cavity back/muscle backdesign that may be said to blur the line between the definitions. Someof the irons include a back wall, a portion of which is spaced away fromthe back of the striking face without fully defining a fully-surroundedcavity. Some of the irons may have a small amount of dampening materialapplied to the back of the face. A club designer may fine tune theseproperties (e.g., using mathematical modeling software) to trulyoptimize the precise location of mass and vibration dampening material.The resulting clubs may have morphologies and assemblies that progressgradually throughout the set. Additionally, while some individual onesof the clubs may have metal components with substantially unlikemorphologies, inclusion of a vibration dampening material may add aconsistent look to the set, allowing a golfer to easily recognize notonly the clubs of the set, but to intuitively see their ordering, as thepattern of visible material can grade progressively through the set.

FIG. 9 shows a ninth club set 900. Ninth club set 900 includes a ninthfour iron 904, a ninth five iron 905, a ninth six iron 906, a ninthseven iron 907, a ninth eight iron 908, a ninth nine iron 909, a ninthpitch wedge 921, and a ninth gap wedge 923. Each club head in ninth clubset 900 can be manufactured so that the lower part of the cavityperimeter defines a back wall (e.g., making something of a cup-shapedarea at the back sole), and the cavity can be filled at least partiallywith an insert. Within ninth club set 900, the back wall getsprogressively larger and the insert gets progressively smaller in avertical direction throughout the set. This construction offers benefitssubstantially as described above with respect to seventh club set 700,but with additional benefits first in that the described progression ismore pronounced within ninth club set 900 than within seventh club set700, and secondly in that any novel set that starts within one of ninthclub set 900 and seventh club set 700 and ends within the other has massdistribution and vibration dampening properties that vary within theset. One can see that this offers a very large number of sets from thecollection defined by only the sixteen clubs depicted in FIG. 7 and FIG.9. Thus, a collection that includes set 700 and set 900 can be used toobtain three or more different complete sets of irons (and wedges) inwhich one or more of the complete sets “starts” within one of set 700and set 900 and “ends” within the other.

It will be appreciated that a collection according to the invention canprovide a number of sets of clubs such that, within a set, some propertyis purposefully consistent for the entire set or purposefully varied sothat the set is best suited to a golfer. A property can be variedprogressively, periodically, or uniquely (e.g., one single club caninclude a feature that aids the golfer, the feature not appearing on anyother club within the set). Features that can be varied within a setinclude offset, loft, lie, bounce, blade length, club height, top linedimension, top line type, sharpness of leading edge, radius of curvatureof toe, radius of curvature of heel, sole width, sole radius, facethickness, cavity volume, finish, darkness, and height of center ofgravity of club head when club. Offset may refer to a distance that ahosel axis is offset from a face in a fore-aft direction when a club isat address. Loft refers to an amount that a club head face is tiltedback from a vertical. Lie angle may refer to the angle between the shaftaxis and the X-Z plane, measured in a plane through the shaft axisparallel to the X-Y plane. Bounce may refer to the angle between theplane that includes the club head's leading and trailing edges and thehorizontal plane when the club is at address.

In certain embodiments, the invention provides a set of golf clubs(e.g., from within a collection) in which a finish or appearance variesthrough the set. Each club may have a slightly different color headfinish on the head. For example, the long irons may have a chrome,bright, or silver finish and the short irons or wedges may have a darkor black finish. The set of clubs may have a gradient that goes frombright to dark, e.g., from silver in appearance to black, on all or aportion of a surface of the clubs. Such a progressive coloring providesa benefit that enhances a golfer's performance. Some golfers find a needto minimize glare for their shorter clubs. Additionally, some of thosegolfers need visibility aids for their long clubs. By providing a longclub with a highly visible club head, a golfer has an aid in lining up ashot and avoiding an off-center hit. While dark to light (e.g., black tosilver) is described just above, it will be appreciated that somegolfers based on the circumstances of their play or the quality of theireyes and perception may most benefit from some other certain colorcombination. Any color combination may be included (e.g., red to bluegradation). In a related embodiment, the variable coloring is done ingroups, or “microsets”, of clubs. For example, all of the long irons (4,5, and 6) could be silver, while short irons (e.g., P, G, and S) areblack, with mid-irons (7, 8, and 9) are gray. Additionally oralternatively, the color progression may be applied to one or more otherparts of a club in any combination (e.g., hosel, shaft, back cavity,grip, etc.) to further enhance the offered benefit. One benefit offeredby the color progression is that a golfer will familiarize herself withher set, and then always know at a glance which club she is holding atthe moment. Color can be provided by any method known in the art. Forexample, a club part could be painted, anodized, or colored by othermethods. In some embodiments, a decal is applied. In certainembodiments, a colored finish is applied by a deposition technique suchas a plasma vapor deposition (PVD) or another vacuum deposition methods(e.g., electron beam physical vapor deposition, sputter deposition,chemical vapor deposition). Thus, in certain embodiments, the inventionprovides a set of club heads in which a finish on a surface of the clubheads transitions through the set. In some embodiments, the finishtransitions throughout the set. Each club may be different from any clubadjacent to it by some value of darkness (or “grayness”). The clubs atthe ends of the set may be different from one another by a much greatervalue of darkness (or “grayness”). In certain embodiments, othercomponents of a golf club could be colored to serve as club identifiers,such as the grip, shaft, ferrule, etc. For example, a club of theinvention may be gray with a grip that is red, blue, translucent, etc.In some embodiments, the colored component also varies progressivelythroughout the set (e.g., stepping through the rainbow with each club,or getting darker or more saturated).

An additional utility of a club set in which an appearance variesthroughout the set relates to recognition based on otherwise incompleteinformation. To illustrate, where a manufacturer provides a collectionthat includes a large number of clubs (e.g., 24 clubs total) from whichgolfers can select and purchase one of a plurality of sets (e.g., 6 ormore distinct sets), circumstances may arise in which a golfer is laternot capable of otherwise providing accurate information back to themanufacturer about a given club. For example, if the golfer is out on acourse and a club plays really well and the golfer wants to find itonline to purchase another, the golfer may take a cell phone photo ofthe club and upload it to the manufacturer's computer system. Thatcomputer system (e.g., server 133 with reference to FIG. 17 below) canthen be used to identify the precise make and model of that club basedon its appearance. In this way, a server program, or a consultanttechnician working at the manufacturer, could use the identity of thesubject club to suggest, or to “add to cart,” another one of the clubson behalf of the golfer.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C diagram reference measurements for club heads.In FIG. 10A, score line spacing A can refer to a distance betweencenters of adjacent score lines. Toe end score height B can refer to adistance from a sole of the club to a center of a first score line in avertical direction at a toe end of the score line. Toe score spacing Crefers to a distance from a toe-most point to a toe end of score lines.Score line width D refers to a width of score lines. Heel score height Fcan refer to a distances from a sole of a club to a heel end of a scoreline. Body top edge face width G refers to a distance between a top edgeof a club and a face to body transition. Lie angle H refers to an anglebetween a hosel axis and a horizontal when the club is at address.

In FIG. 10B, top body thickness I can refer to a thickness of a topportion of a body. Face thickness J refers to a thickness of the face.Sole width K can refer to a distance from a leading edge to a trailingedge of a sole. L can indicate a lowest point on a sole, where tomeasure radius of curvature of the sole (i.e., sole radius). M can showloft, an angle between the striking face plane and the vertical. N canshow a distance from a leading edge of the face to a hosel axis. O canshow a horizontal distance from a leading edge of a face to a leadingedge of a hosel. P can indicate a vertical distance from a leading edgeof a face to a lowest point on a sole. Q can refer to a vertical heightof a face to sole transition.

In FIG. 10C, R can be a height of a club head at address or bladeheight. S can be a height of a geometric center of a club face ataddress. T can be a width of a club head in a heel toe direction or aface width. U can be a heel-end face height (noting, e.g., that a largedifference between R and U relates to a shape of a face). V can be atoe-most point on a face perimeter. W can be a sole to toe transitionpoint on a face perimeter (e.g., where to measure radius of curvature oftoe). X can be a sole-most point on a face perimeter. Y can be a lowestpoint on a leading edge of a face. Z can indicate a transition from asole edge of a face to heel end of a face perimeter. AA can show a topmost point of a face perimeter. BB can indicate a midpoint of a top lineof a face perimeter. CC generally shows a transition from a top line toa heel end of a face perimeter. DD can be a hosel diameter. EE can be ahosel inset internal depth. FF can be a hosel length. GG can be a hoselinset internal diameter. The dimensions referred to in FIGS. 10A-10C arenot limiting and are merely useful aids when describing club headsaccording to certain embodiments.

Configurations and geometries of a club head may be referred using knownterms in the art and those terms may be given their customary meaning ingolf. Lie angle may refer to the angle, measured in degrees, of theclub's shaft when the club is set in the address position as measuredfrom the shaft to the sole of the club head. Iron sets typically rangefrom 57° to 64° with the long irons having a more shallow or lowerangle. Up-right lie may refer to a relatively steep or more vertical lieangle. Taller players may prefer a more up-right lie.

Loft may refer to the angle, measured in degrees, of the club head'sface when the club is soled properly. Irons, for example, may range from18° to 65° with the long irons having lower loft. Offset may refer tothe distance from the forward most point of the hosel to the leadingedge of the blade. Offset will help a player to align the club face withthe target, reducing a slice, and may produce higher ball flight.

Materials may be used in club heads to provide desirable properties.

A golf club in a collection or set of the invention may include anyconstruction or material known in the art. In some embodiments, a golfclub is characterized by two-piece construction A club head withtwo-piece construction generally includes two pieces of cast stainlesssteel that are welded together to form a head with hollow head or onewith a defined groove or chamber in the cavity.

A golf club can include any suitable material.

For example, a club head may include a metal such as stainless steel.Stainless steel may be used head construction (e.g., for irons, putters,or others),and may have about 20% carbon, 15-20% chromium, and 1.25-2.5%nickel, with the remainder being iron and a few trace elements.

In some embodiments, a golf club includes 303 Stainless Steel, e.g.,within a head of iron or wedge. The 303 stainless steel allow contains aminimum of 17% chromium, 15% sulphur and 8% nickel with the balancebeing iron. This malleable stainless steel alloy can be used in iron andwedge heads to allow for custom bending of the head, e.g., more easilythan the standard 431 Stainless Steel. This material may also be moremalleable than 304 Stainless Steel. Grade 303 may represent the optimumin machinability among the austenitic stainless steels. It isparticularly useful for production that involves machining (e.g., CNCmilling of grooves or cavity features).

A club of the invention may include 304 Stainless steel. The 304stainless steel alloy may be used, for example, in iron and wedge heads.This alloy contains a minimum of 18% Chromium, 8% Nickel with thebalance being Iron. The 304 stainless steel alloy allows for custombending of the head and is corrosion resistant.

A club head may include 431 Stainless steel. This alloy contains aminimum of 15% Chromium, 1.25% Nickel with the balance being Iron. Thisheat treatable martensitic, nickel-bearing grade has excellent corrosionresistance properties. It has excellent tensile and torque strength, andgood toughness, making it ideally suited to iron heads. It can behardened to approximately 40 HRC.

A club head may include 432 Stainless steel, which contains a minimum of16% chromium with the balance being Iron. This Stainless Steel is verysimilar to 431 grade and slightly more bendable.

Beryllium copper is an alloy that can be used in club heads. Berylliumcopper is more dense than stainless and some players get a usefulbenefit from its a softer feel. Beryllium heads are also easilyidentified by their copper coloration.

Other materials that may be included in a club head include aluminum,titanium, pre-peg, composite, plastic, thermoplastic, viscoelasticdampening materials, wood (e.g., for forming a club head), balsa wood(e.g., as a lightweight layer in a club head), tungsten, lead, urethane,polyurethane, rubber, leather, and other materials.

Different types of clubs and club heads can be included in a collectionor set of the invention. A set or a collection of the invention mayinclude any known type of club head.

Irons may be long irons, e.g., usually iron numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. Longirons may have less than 25° loft. Mid irons may refer to the middle ofa set, numbered 5, 6, and 7. These iron usually range in loft from 25°to 38° and are designed for distance and accuracy on your approach shotonto the green. In general, irons may be muscle back, cavity back, anintermediate form, or a novel form.

A set may include a wedge such as, for example, a pitching wedge, sandwedge, lob wedge, third wedge, utility wedge. Wedge may refer to a typeof short iron with significant loft mainly for playing shorter, morelofted shots (the amount of loft can vary widely, from a pitching wedgethat ranges somewhere between 47° and 52° to a lob wedge that can rangefrom 58° up to) 65°. A lob wedge may have a high loft, e.g., 59°, 60°,or more. A pitch wedge may have a loft of 48° to 50°. A set may includea utility wedge, or third wedge, that differs from a pitching wedge or asand wedge in the characteristics of the loft, sole, or others.

In certain embodiments, a set or collection of the invention includes anapproach wedge, such as an attack wedge, dual wedge, or gap wedge. Anapproach wedge may have a loft between about 52° and about 54° and canbe used for shots that are in between pitch wedge and sand wedgedistance.

A set may include a chipper, or chipping iron. A chipper may refer to aclub used to chip the ball onto the green. A chipper may have loftbetween about 28° and about 43°. A chipper may have a length similar toa putter and a non-putter grip.

A set may include a club or head known as a driving iron. A driving ironrefers to a golf club with low loft and a muscle or hollow body similarto a wood. The driving iron may be usefully beneficial to golfers whohave difficulty hitting their long irons.

In some embodiments, a set includes a blade-style head, or blade. Ablade may be included in the form of a muscle-back irons due to apossible concentration of weight directly behind the center of the clubface. A blade may be most usefully beneficial for an experienced golfer.

In certain embodiments, a set includes one or more hybrid club or clubhead, sometimes referred to as a hybrid iron or hybrid wood. A hybridmay refer to a club that combines playing characteristics of both woodsand irons. A hybrid iron may refer to a club head with a flat face. Ahybrid wood may refer to a club head in which a face has bulge, roll, orboth. Hybrids may take the place of the long irons. Some golfers findhybrids useful as being easy to play and give a player added control onlong approach shots. Hybrid woods may give a higher shot than hybridirons. Hybrid irons may give good control.

Manufacturing can include a variety of methods to provide the mostfunctional club head. A variety of useful and beneficial styles ofmanufacturing are possible including, for example, casting, forging,molding, co-molding, machining, or other methods.

In certain embodiments, a club head or part is cast. Cast refers to aprocess of manufacturing club heads where stainless steel (containingvarying amounts of nickel) is poured into a mold in molten state andremoved as one piece.

A club head may be die cast. Die cast involves injection of materialinto a pre-formed die to form club heads. This process is generally usedon heads such as zinc alloy irons and aluminum alloy woods. It is alsocommonly used on putters made from brass and zinc.

A club head may be forged. Forging may include using a series of forgingdies for stamping the head to final shape. Forged heads are made ofsofter metals than cast heads and may be hand finished, chrome-plated,or both.

A variety of features may be included or optimized on a club head. Theinvention includes the insight that any of these features may be variedthroughout a set. Additionally, a collection can include more than oneset in which one or more of the features is included and varied so thatone or any flow set made from a mixture of the more than one set has thefeature also varying throughout the flow set.

One feature that can be included in a club head is a bore-through. Borethrough refers to a construction for shaft insertion in which the shaftis inserted all of the way through the club head so that the tip of theshaft is visible on the sole of the club.

Another feature that can be varied within a set is bounced. Bounce isusually referred to when discussing wedges or hybrids, and can beincluded in any type of club. Bounce is the description of one type ofsole angle where the back edge of the sole is lower than the front edge.A bounce angle on the sole may usefully help prevent a club from diggingtoo deep in the sand or getting stopped by tall grass. Measured indegrees, typical bounce angles range from 6 to 15. In some embodiments,a club head includes a cambered sole. In a cambered sole, the sole has acurvature. A sole can be cambered (rounded) from toe to heel, or fromfront to back, or both.

In certain embodiments, a club head includes a cavity undercut, orundercut cavity. A cavity undercut may refer to a back club in which thecavity has been extended down into the sole of the iron or in any otherdirection, there by moving the center of gravity farther behind the faceof the iron producing a more forgiving club head.

A feature that can be varied is center of gravity. Center of gravityrefers to the point in a club head where all of the points of balanceintersect. For some players, a lower CG will give higher ball flight.

Other features that may be varied within a club set include face height(a distance from the sole to the crown at mid face, i.e., to varyhitting area); face length (a distance from heel to toe on the club facewhich comes into direct contact with the ball); groove patterns(indentations which cause the ball to spin); a ferrule (a trim ringwhich may keep detritus out of a hosel fitting); sole Width; presence orarrangement of grooves (e.g., square grooves, box grooves, U grooves, Vgrooves, etc.).

In certain embodiments, a set includes flow weighting. In such a set,weight positioning may shift from one club to the next. For example, a#1 iron may have more weight concentrated on its toe, a #2 iron slightlyless, and so on. Flow weighting may be referred to as progressiveweighting where there is substantially a progress through a set.

FIGS. 11-16 aid in seeing the relationship between sets and collections.While depicted in those figures as having certain numbers of clubs ofcertain identities, a club collection according to the invention is aplurality of clubs within which at least one club type is representedmore than once.

FIG. 11 illustrates a collection that includes a tenth club set 1001 andan eleventh club set 1101. Set 1101 contains fourth four iron 404,fourth five iron 405, fourth six iron 406, fourth seven iron 407, thirdeight iron 308, third nine iron 309, third pitch wedge 321, and thirdgap wedge 323. It will be appreciated that other sets can be obtainedfrom within the clubs depicted in FIG. 11. In fact, if a collectionincludes nine distinct rows (which can be referred to as first set 100,second set 200, . . . , ninth set 900) and if each row includes eightclubs, there are about 98 distinct club sets that can be obtained. Incertain embodiments, the invention provides a collection that includesat least 16 clubs from which at least 3 clubs sets can be provided(e.g., any number from 3 to 256). As shown in FIG. 11, a collection mayconsist of 32 clubs, and may provide at least six different sets (e.g.,first set 100, second set 200, third set 300, fourth set 400, tenth set1001, and eleventh set 1101). Other numbers are possible. For example, acollection may consist of 12 clubs, and could provide four or moredifferent unique sets each of which includes six clubs.

The invention includes the insight that for a collection of clubsorganized into rows, in which each row represents one club set, if therows are represented as parallel and adjacent rows, and if the clubheads are designed with gradient (i.e., progressively varying) orperiodic (i.e., cyclically varying) properties, then a useful club setmay be provided as a set that “flows” through the collection, cascadingfrom one row to the next.

FIG. 12 represents a collection that includes a twelfth club set 1201(as well as first set 100 through ninth set 900, tenth set 1001,eleventh set 1101, and others). Here, the collection is depicted asconsisting of 72 clubs. Club set 1201 flows from first four iron 104,first five iron 105, and first six iron 106 to second seven iron 107.Club set 1201 then cascades from second eight iron 208 to third nineiron 309. It will appreciated that a large variety of club sets may flowthrough a collection. Additionally, a club set need not arise out of acollection with any particular pattern. A defining quality of a club setaccording to the invention is that it includes a plurality of clubs thatare usefully beneficial to a golfer. When visualizing a collection on apage as having (of necessity) some spatial arrangement, a set may appearwithin that collection having any (or no) visually apparent pattern.

FIG. 13 shows a thirteenth club set 1301. Here, set 1301 includes 9clubs that have been matched to a player's abilities and needs. Here,the short irons have a very high face height and work with the mid andlong iron such that face height increases progressively throughout theset. Additionally, the longest irons (from eight set 800) have a hybridcavity back/muscle back design that establish a pattern, which iscontinued by the mid irons from the ninth set 900 such that Izz variesprogressively through the set, although in this set for better players,the variation is not as extreme as across the entirety of ninth set 900.Thus, where ninth set 900 may represent a good general purpose set,thirteenth set 1301 may represent a set for slightly better players inwhich the longer irons have some perimeter weighting but also have abetter coefficient of restitution than the sister longer irons fromninth set 900. Thus, in certain embodiments, a set has a coefficient ofrestitution that varies progressively within the set.

FIG. 14 shows a fourteenth club set 1401 that may arise from the samecollection depicted in FIG. 13. By the nature of its composition,fourteenth set 1401 has a property that varies periodically within theset—the presence of a perimeter weighted, cavity-backed iron within aset composed primarily of forged, muscle-backed irons. Fourteenth set1401 includes third six iron 306 and third nine iron 309, both of whichmay be cavity-backed irons with extreme perimeter weighting. This setmay be suited to a player who has overlapping distance ranges and canexploit that by including overlapping clubs that offer slightlydifferent features for different circumstances. In the case offourteenth set 1401, a better player may typically shoot best with aforged blade. However, every third club is present as a cavity-backedclub. The golfer may use these in certain circumstances that areotherwise vexatious.

FIG. 15 shows a fifteenth club set 1501. Here, a player is best servedby including eighth two iron 802 in a set that includes a large numberof clubs from fourth club set 400. Thus, fifteenth club set 1501provides forged blades along with a cavity-backed two iron. This set maybe particularly well suited for a gifted player for whom the two ironmay serve a role that other players would file with a hybrid or a wood.Since the gifted player can obtain the well-suited set from within theoverall collection, that player is well served by a collection accordingto the invention. The gifted player can get a set that includes atwo-iron which may otherwise never have been produced (or, e.g.,distributed to a retail environment) due to otherwise low demand forsuch a set.

While discussed here so far predominantly in terms of irons, hybrids,and wedges, a collection according to the invention can include anystyle of club including woods, drivers, putters, or others.

FIG. 16 shows a large collection according to certain embodiments. Here,in addition to those clubs already discussed, first club set 100includes a first three wood 131, a first five wood 133, a first onehybrid 135, a first two hybrid 137, a first one iron 101, a first twoiron 102, a first three iron 103, a first sand wedge 125, and a firstlob wedge 127. Second club set 200 includes a second three wood 231, asecond five wood 233, a second one hybrid 235, a second two hybrid 237,a second one iron 201, a second two iron 202, a second gap wedge 223, asecond sand wedge 225, and a second lob wedge 227. Third club set 300includes a third three wood 331, a third five wood 333, a third onehybrid 335, a third two hybrid 337, a third one iron 301, a third twoiron 302, a third sand wedge 325, and a third lob wedge 327. Fourth clubset 400 includes a fourth three wood 431, a fourth five wood 433, afourth one hybrid 435, a fourth two hybrid 437, a fourth one iron 401, afourth two iron 402, a fourth sand wedge 425, and a fourth lob wedge427. Fifth club set 500 includes a fifth one iron 501, a fifth two iron502, a fifth sand wedge 525, and a fifth lob wedge 527. Sixth club set600 includes a sixth one iron 601, a sixth two iron 602, a sixth sandwedge 625, and a sixth lob wedge 627. Seventh club set 700 includes aseventh one iron 701, a seventh two iron 702, a seventh three iron 703,a seventh sand wedge 725, and a seventh lob wedge 727. Eighth club set800 includes an eighth one iron 801. Ninth club set 900 includes a ninthone iron 901, a ninth two iron 902, and a ninth three iron 903.

If a golfer provides information about their needs and playing style, anoptimized set can be provided for that golfer from out of the collectiondepicted in FIG. 16.

FIG. 17 depicts a system for suggesting an optimized set out of acollection. A system of the invention generally includes at least oneelectronic device 105 for use by a golfer. Electronic device 105 may bea computer (such as a laptop or desktop PC), a portable device (such asa smartphone), or another computing device (such as a tablet).Generally, electronic device 105 will include a processor coupled to amemory with one or more input and output mechanisms. Additionally,device 105 may communicate with server 133 via a network. A processormay include any data processing device such as a silicon microchip suchas the one sold under the trademark CORE I7 by Intel (Santa Clara,Calif.). A memory may generally include a tangible, non-transitorystorage medium, such as a solid-state drive (SSD), flash drive, harddrive, USB drive, or similar. Input and output mechanisms can includeone or more of a keyboard, pointer (e.g., mouse, trackpad), monitor,touchscreen, network device (e.g., Wi-Fi card, network-interface card),data connection (e.g., USB port), speaker, microphone, button, or acombination thereof. Sever 133 may itself include one or any number ofcomputer device generally including a processor operably coupled to amemory such as, for example, a rack-mounted server such as the one soldunder the trademark BLADE by Hitachi Data Systems (Santa Clara, Calif.)or other computer devices. Server 133 may optionally include additionalstorage such as dedicated data storage devices or connections tocloud-based storage. As shown in FIG. 17, device 105 will generallyinclude a mechanism for providing a display 125. A golfer may interactwith device 105 (e.g., through the use of display 125) to provideinformation about their golfing needs or competencies.

FIG. 18 shows a display 125 according to certain embodiments. Display125 can optionally show any number of clubs such as an entirecollection. As shown in FIG. 18, a collection can be shown in row andcolumn format (although this is not necessary and is merely illustrativeof a certain embodiment) in which columns represent a club type and rowsrepresent sets of clubs. Since the invention provides sets of clubs thatcan “flow” from one row to another, a collection depicted in thisfashion will include a greater number of sets than of displayed rows.Through the use of display 125, systems of the invention can be used toperform methods for suggesting sets of golf clubs.

FIG. 19 gives a diagram of a method of suggesting golf clubs. A golferprovides data to a device 105. Device 105 also obtains information aboutclubs in a collection of clubs (such as physical properties of clubsthat are represented in FIG. 11). Based on data provided by the golfer,device 105 matches a first set of clubs to the golfer. For example, ifthe golfer input data showing that a very low club head center ofgravity was important to improve that golfer's playing, device 105 canreview all of the entries in each “column” within the collection and,for each column, find the entry with the lowest club head center ofgravity (e.g., in a vertical direction when the club head is ataddress). Device 105 may optionally match one or more additional sets.For example, if the golfer also indicated that eliminating glare isimportant for the playability of his wedges, but needs long irons thatappear large to properly set up shots and prevent partially off facehits, device 105 can choose a set with an appearance that grades fromlight to dark (e.g., silver to black) from long irons to wedges and thathas one of the lower club head center of gravities for each head of allof the possible sets.

Device 105 can then suggest the set or sets that have been identified.Server 133 can optionally be used to store information about the golfer.For example, a golfer may give data using a tablet computer while out onthe golf course. By storing that data on server 133, when that golferlater sits at her desktop computer, she can review the data she gave andthe sets that are suggested by the system. Additionally, device 105 mayoffer to allow the golfer to purchase one or more of the suggested sets.

FIG. 20 shows a display 125 on a device 105 by which a golfer may giveinformation identifying their playing needs and competencies. Thisinformation can be solicited by, for example, a series of questions thatare shown as prompts that gather information about a golfer's abilitiesand requirements. Exemplary information that a golfer could be promptedfor, and provide, includes distance that the golfer hits any given club;tendency to hook or slice; turf interaction; needs regarding anappearance of a club head; accuracy or precision of hits (e.g., lowprecision means hits are distributed all over striking face rather thanin the form of a tight cluster); others; or a combination thereof. Withthe information that a golfer inputs, a device 105, server 133, or acombination thereof can suggest one or more sets.

FIG. 21 depicts a device 105 being used to suggest a set of golf clubs.Here, device 105 is suggesting three different sets. Device 105 issuggesting a performance set (e.g., purely calculated on making the bestshots for that golfer without concern for cost); a tech set (e.g.,including certain technical features that a golfer specified, such as anadjustable-loft hybrid or extreme perimeter weighting via movableweights); and an affordable set (e.g., a set that is best for the playerwithout crossing a certain cost threshold). Additionally, device 105 canbe used by a golfer to shop for and buy one or more of the sets orindividual clubs.

Device 105 may be operated by a golfer as his or her own personaldevice. For example, a golfer may own a tablet computer and may downloadan app from server 133 and install it to receive club set suggestions.Additionally or alternatively, a golfer may use an application such as aweb browser or a purpose-built application program to receive golf clubsuggestions. In some embodiments, device 105 is provided as a kiosk orother location for interaction at, for example, a retail store.

In some embodiments, device 105 is provided with a collection of golfclubs. For example, a golf club manufacturer may provide a retail storewith a collection of golf clubs as well as a kiosk that can display anduse information according to methods described herein (e.g., as depictedin FIG. 20 or 21). A kiosk can refer to a standalone structure, such asa workstation with a custom form-factor, or a kiosk can refer to adisplay in a store such as a tablet, laptop, desktop, or other computeravailable at a retail counter.

In certain embodiments, a collection is provided with information toolsfor selecting a set. Exemplary information tools include printed mattersuch as signs, pamphlets, posters, or other such material. Aninformation tool can include a fitting wheel or fitting calculator thatincludes information about sets that are available from within acollection and tools to aid a golfer in selecting a set. Information canbe provided, for example, in the form of a display for a retail storethat depicts an entire collection of clubs and calls out certain setsfrom within that collection, which may be best-suited to differentindividual golfers. For example, a poster showing a collection couldhave a “high performance forged blade” set circled, a “progressivecavity back to muscle back” set circled, a “massive sweet spot, highMOT” set for game improvement circled, and an “affordable starter set”circled. In some embodiments, each of these four sets includes at leastseven (e.g., eight) clubs and the entire collection includes a certainnumber of clubs (e.g., a number between 12 and 24).

Embodiments of the invention include labels for club sets from acollection. An insight of the invention is that there may be adisconnection between a manufacturer applied number or name and a user'srelationship to a club. Thus, a club set may be most beneficial to agolfer if it includes clubs that are not strictly consecutively-numberedaccording to the imprints provided by a manufacturer (and in someembodiments, a collection is provided in which one or more of clubs areprovided with no manufacturer provided club type indicia). It may bemost beneficial to such a golfer to have the ability to designate theclubs in his set according to their benefit to him or their relationshipto one another. In some embodiments, a club set is provided with a setof labels (such as stickers) that a golfer can apply to each club. Thelabels can include numbers or other indicators of the clubs' playingproperties (e.g., “long fairway”, “onto the green”, etc.).

In certain embodiments, the set of labels is keyed to informationprovided by an information tool such as printed matter (e.g., a pamphletor poster) or digital matter (e.g., an app or a program).

As used herein, the word “or” means “and or or”, sometimes seen orreferred to as “and/or”, unless indicated otherwise.

Incorporation by Reference

References and citations to other documents, such as patents, patentapplications, patent publications, journals, books, papers, webcontents, have been made throughout this disclosure. All such documentsare hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for allpurposes.

Equivalents

Various modifications of the invention and many further embodimentsthereof, in addition to those shown and described herein, will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the full contents of thisdocument, including references to the scientific and patent literaturecited herein. The subject matter herein contains important information,exemplification and guidance that can be adapted to the practice of thisinvention in its various embodiments and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A collection of golf club heads, the collection comprising: a first set of M consecutively-numbered club heads; a second set of N consecutively-numbered club heads; and a third set of P consecutively numbered club heads, wherein the collection consists of Q clubs and Q<(M+N+P).
 2. The collection of claim 1, wherein the Q club heads comprises iron-type club heads and hybrid-type club heads.
 3. The collection of claim 1, wherein the consecutive numbering is provided by a user-affixed indicia and further wherein the second set comprises two clubs that are manufactured with the same number.
 4. The collection of claim 3, wherein the two clubs are a 5-iron and a 5-hybrid.
 5. The collection of claim 1, wherein club heads of the first set have a first property that varies progressively with the numbering of the set.
 6. The collection of claim 5, wherein club heads of the second set have a second property that varies progressively with the numbering of the set.
 7. The collection of claim 6, wherein the first property is moment of inertia of a club head about a z-axis when the club head is at address.
 8. The collection of claim 7, wherein the second property is a ratio of maximum face width to maximum face height.
 9. The collection of claim 8, wherein club heads of the third set have a third property that varies progressively with the numbering of the set and the third property is one selected from the list consisting of offset, loft, lie, bounce, blade length, club height, top line dimension, top line type, sharpness of leading edge, radius of curvature of toe, radius of curvature of heel, sole width, sole radius, face thickness, cavity volume, finish, darkness, and height of center of gravity of club head in the heel/toe direction and when club head is at address.
 10. The collection of claim 5, wherein club heads of the second set have a second property that varies cyclically with the numbering of the set.
 11. The collection of claim 10, wherein the second property is a position of serration on a leading edge.
 12. The collection of claim 1, wherein the second property is a width of sole such that every third club has a sole wider than adjacently-numbered clubs.
 13. The collection of claim 5, wherein the collection consists of 12 irons, the first set consists of six cast irons, the second set consists of six forged irons, and third set consists of three forged irons and three cast irons.
 14. The collection of claim 13, wherein the first property is a cavity depth that increases with decreasing iron number.
 15. The collection of claim 14, wherein club heads of the second set have a second property that varies progressively with the numbering of the set.
 16. The collection of claim 15, wherein the second property is a ratio of maximum face width to maximum face height.
 17. The collection of claim 16, wherein club heads of the third set have a third property that varies progressively with the numbering of the set.
 18. The collection of claim 17, wherein the third property is a maximum sole width that increases with increasing iron number.
 19. The collection of claim 5, wherein every third club of the second set has a second property that appears on no other club within the collection.
 20. The collection of claim 19, wherein the second property is a serration on a leading edge of the blade. 